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About Liposuction Procedure
Liposuction removes fat from areas that do not respond to diet and exercise. These areas include the abdomen, hips, thighs, neck, arms, back, thighs, knees, calves and ankles. Liposuction is also a surgical technique that is used to perform the Brazilian Butt Lift procedure.
This procedure must be performed skillfully, technically precise, and must shape the body with gentle curves and blend into surrounding areas seamlessly. We have performed many liposuction cases here at AJ Plastic Surgery Centre. We treat every patient as an individual with different problem areas and different goals. We will take the time to listen to your specific concerns and develop a customized plan for you.
Many of our patients use lipo as a kickstart towards a healthier lifestyle.
This procedure is most successful in people with good skin tone who have fatty deposits. We want to emphasize that lipo is not a treatment for obesity. If weight gain occurs following liposuction, each fat cell left behind will get bigger and you will get bigger everywhere. The good thing is that if you continue to diet and exercise after surgery – each fat cell will get smaller so you will get an even better result in the areas you’ve had liposuction.
Almost all of our patients lost weight after their surgery because they felt better about themselves and were more motivated to stay healthy. To maintain the safety of the procedure, there is a limit on how much can be done at one time.
For proper blending and for natural body contouring, often lipo 360 is performed. Lipo 360 involves liposuction of the abdomen, hips, flanks, and back so they naturally blend into each other and the surrounding areas. It is often combined with fat grafting.
- Before Procedure
- During Procedure
- Results & Recovery
Things You Should Know Before Your Liposuction Procedure
Lipo removes and thins excess fat that does not respond to diet and exercise. It cannot correct underlying muscle separation, hanging skin, or hernias. Sometimes in patients with poor elasticity, this procedure actually makes their skin hang more. We spend a lot of time with our patients at AJ Plastic Surgery Centre talking about what can and cannot be fixed with lipo.
It is VERY important for patients to have realistic expectations after liposuction. As we’ve mentioned before, plastic surgery is not an exact science. Every person has a unique anatomy and their own idea of what their body goals should be. This is why consultations are vital so we can work together to create the best possible plan, customized for your personal needs and goals.
At the consultation from our AJ Plastic Surgery Centre office, we will take a complete medical history and conduct a careful examination and develop a customized plan based on your anatomy as well as your aesthetic goals. We consider age, overall health, emotional well-being, as well as expectations for surgery when evaluating a candidate for this procedure. We consider the preparation before surgery and your understanding of how to take care of yourself critical to having the best possible results so our staff will walk you through each part of the process every step of the way.
What Happens During Liposuction Procedure
Liposuction is done under general anesthesia or IV sedation. With very small isolated areas, we sometimes perform liposuction under local anesthesia. we believe that every part of the surgical team is essential to having a perfect and smooth surgery so every part of our extended team is focused during surgery, and pays attention to every detail. We will all ensure that as you enter the operating room and are gently placed under anesthesia you will feel relaxed, calm, and excited. During the operation, we will all be focused on keeping you warm, comfortable, and cared for. During the surgery, we are gentle and respectful and ensure a positive and calm environment around you.
After placing the numbing solution, we make small (less than 4 mm), discreet incisions in the areas to be treated. we will show you where all these incisions will be placed prior to surgery. We have developed a special multi-staged technique that removes fat in an even and gentle fashion. The details of this and why it is important will be explained to you in your consultation. A thin liposuction cannula is inserted in a small incision and attached to a suction machine.
The procedure may take an hour or several hours, depending on how many areas are involved. We take pride in creating even symmetric, and natural-looking results. As we specialize in Revision Liposuction (fixing liposuction errors), we take extra time and care with every single stroke and motion and with the shaping of the body. Too often we see liposuction performed over-aggressively resulting in bumps, irregularities, injuries to the skin and tissues that are often irreversible. Like everything else, liposuction requires meticulous attention to detail and artistry to create the best possible results.
Liposuction Results & Recovery: What to Expect
Recovery from this procedure is relatively easy. A few hours after surgery you should be up and walking around. Many of our patients return to work a few days after surgery. We have developed a gentle liposuction technique that has minimal pain and a quick recovery. Swelling and some bruising is normal the first two weeks. You will wear special garments that are measured for your body and provided to you to apply pressure, minimize swelling and provide support while healing. These garments also assist in the retraction of the skin. We use dissolvable sutures so they don’t need to be removed.
Following liposuction, the scars, which are extremely small may be a little red. Over the next 6-12 months they slowly fade. You will start scar treatments at around 2 weeks after surgery. We will discuss scar care in detail with you and also provide you with scar medications and products. The scars will be almost invisible.
Overall, our patients are extremely happy after liposuction. They finally feel they are rid of “problem areas” they lived with for a long time even despite diet and exercise. They have a smoother contour and a more proportionate shape. We truly enjoy performing liposuction and feel like a sculptor, helping our patients achieve the aesthetic shape they desire.
- When you wake up from your surgery, you will be in the compression garment already. It will feel a little damp, but that is completely normal. It is best to bring a split open trash bag to cover the seat of your car.
- It is extremely important to keep the liposuction garment on for six weeks after the surgery. Any swelling you have will decrease significantly if you wear your garment properly. You will also have foam pads inside your garment, just to make sure the skin stays smooth and flat. We recommend keeping the foams inside your garment for two weeks and to make sure the garment is straight, without any wrinkles or creases in it.
- When you wash your garment, you should be out of it for only up to 30 minutes at a time. Quickly hand wash it with some detergent and put it in the dryer for 15-20 minutes.
- If you’re having lipo on your inner thigh, you need to make sure the garment comes all the way up on your leg.
- It is important to walk several times the evening of surgery, up until two weeks after surgery.
- Have someone assist you in getting in and out of bed and going to the restroom right after your lipo surgery, but you may slowly resume normal activities 3-4 days after the surgery.
- For the first two weeks try to avoid physical activity and stick to gentle walking, after two weeks you can walk uphill or do a little bit of cardio, four weeks after your lipo you can start doing bodyweight exercises, but you need to wait for six weeks after your lipo surgery to return to your normal activities.
- Stick to clear liquids the first night after surgery. Drink plenty of fluids and no alcohol or smoking for 2 weeks after the surgery.
- After your surgery, you should stick to a healthy diet, rich in antioxidants and proteins, which will help your healing. Do not eat fast food and try to stay away from fatty foods, you do not want to feel bloated after your lipo.
- Vitamins and minerals will also help your healing.
- You should wait for two days after your lipo until you shower. You need to give the incisions time to heal before you get your body wet.
- Take off your compression garment when you shower and make sure you do this with assistance as people can faint during removal of garments or feel faint in the shower. Do not scrub any of the incisions, just let the water flow over them.
- After your liposuction at AJ Plastic Surgery Centre, you will have several little holes in your body which will be closed by dissolvable little sutures. Those sutures should dissolve on their own, but if they don’t, we can help dissolve them in our office.
- After liposuction, it is very common to be swollen for a few months. Maximal swelling is usually around day three, then as the fluids leave your body you should see your swelling go down.
FAQ
If I gain weight after liposuction will I need it again?
Your body genetically has a certain number of fat cells deposited in particular areas. Some people are just born with more fat cells in their abdomen, flanks, inner thighs and no matter what they do, they just can’t lose the fat there. Liposuction removes the total number of fat cells that has preferentially deposited in these areas. If you gain weight, each fat cell in the body gets bigger, but because you have fewer fat cells in liposuctioned areas, you should proportionately gain less in the liposuctioned areas.
It is always a possibility that if you gain a lot of weight, you may need liposuction again.
Can liposuction help me lose weight?
Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for diet and exercise. It is for re-shaping the body to treat areas that have a dis-proportionate amount of fat. Liposuction is ideally designed for pockets of fat in isolated areas that do not respond to diet and exercise.
We always tell our patients to start with diet and exercise and to maintain a stable weight before undergoing liposuction. However, having liposuction often motivates patients who look better in their leggings or workout clothes, to begin a healthier lifestyle, and many people lose even more weight after their procedure.
I’m fit but I don’t like a pocket of fat that bulges - Am I still able to have liposuction?
We would say that the ideal candidate for liposuction is someone who is of healthy height and weight with small pockets of fat that they just can’t lose despite diet and exercise. As long as there are a few centimeters of fat present in an area, it can be removed.
Many of AJ Plastic Surgery Centre patients are very fit bikini models who don’t like the extra fat bulge or shape of their inner or outer thigh or feel that they have a “muffin top” making their waistline bigger than desired.
Liposuction is ideal for this type of re-shaping. In general, if you’re unsure, it’s best to see a plastic surgeon in consultation to evaluate your particular anatomy and decide if you are a candidate for liposuction.
Will liposuction hinder my ability to lose weight in areas I did not have liposuction?
At AJ Plastic Surgery Centre, we perform liposuction in a way where all areas blend naturally into the surrounding areas. It doesn’t prevent fat loss.
We would recommend you schedule a consultation where our surgeon consultants can have an in-depth discussion about this and all of your questions.
Why do I have to wear compression garments?
The liposuction cannulas make tiny tracks as they remove fat. At AJ Plastic Surgery Centre, we tell patients to imagine a sponge with small holes. The compression garments help squeeze all the fluid and tissues down to allow for a smooth flat thin contour.
They are sometimes cumbersome to wear, but worth it to have the best possible outcome. One of our celebrity liposuction patients who had to do several red-carpet events soon after their surgery found some compression garments that give a nice smooth contour under clothing. We now use these often for our patients, so the garments are less obvious under clothing.
Is liposuction dangerous?
Any surgical procedure has risks of anesthesia, risks of getting a blood clot, and a number of other complications. Many of the serious complications from liposuction in the past involved cardiac reactions to the local anesthesia injected in the body before the procedure.
Also, procedures involving large volumes of liposuction (> 5L) resulted in fluid shifts that caused cardiac and respiratory problems. These occurrences are now quite rare.
A safe, well-trained surgeons will carefully calculate and keep track of the amount of local anesthesia used as well as the amount of liposuction removed. A partnership and good communication with the anesthesiologist will help to ensure the safest conditions possible.
I’ve seen some bad liposuction performed by other surgeons. What happened there?
We know exactly what you are talking about – we can spot bad liposuction a mile away. There is always the possibility of asymmetry, skin dents, wrinkling, or folding.
However, experienced liposuction surgeons like ours should be able to avoid most of these things from happening. Most of the really bad liposuction results often come from over suctioning the fat causing the skin to stick unnaturally to the underlying structures.
At AJ Plastic Surgery Centre, we always tell patients that we have to leave a small cushion of fat under the skin to keep this from happening. We do the majority of the fat removal through surgery, and they do the rest with diet and exercise.
Do you do soft sculpt
Soft sculpt is just a marketing term. From what we understand, it’s just liposuction performed awake with only local anesthesia. This can actually be more dangerous since you have to use much more lidocaine (numbing medicine).
The times there have been deaths from liposuction have been from too much numbing – lidocaine toxicity. The vibrating cannula they describe is just a PAL system that most surgeons use. At AJ Plastic Surgery Centre, we have developed a gentle multi-phase technique that is even less traumatic and creates smooth and natural results.
